An 87? No Big Deal!

I visited a golf course that I haven’t played in some time although it’s my home course. Maple Moor has been undergoing a renovation since Billy Casper Golf took it over last year. It really hasn’t improved at all.

In spite of the soggy fairways (this was one of their biggest problems…drainage!) and very weedy grounds I did really well today. You see I haven’t played golf in two weeks nor did I visit a driving range in over a week. I was a bit tight and didn’t expect much of myself. That could be why I scored so well!

I noticed when my expectations are really high, whether it be on the golf course or in some other aspect of my life, I rarely get what I expected. When I set my standards a bit lower I seem to be able to overcome any difficulties.

Today I didn’t expect anything to come of my round. I didn’t expect to break 90 and certainly didn’t expect to hit my shots crisp. But I did do one thing which made the difference in my game. I went over to the putting area and practiced for about 20 minutes while waiting for my tee time. I really made sure that I could read the greens. The first thing I did was to hit across the green to the other side (about 40 feet). I watched the ball as it broke and didn’t care too much if it dropped. I mean, how many of us drop 40 footers?

After several minutes of long putting I then settled in on putts of about 20 feet. Mid length. And I attempted to make those putts. Again, my intent was to watch how the greens broke and gain confidence in my hand-eye coordination.

Once I gained confidence I then got even closer and finished off with short putts, inside of 10 feet. I needed to make sure that my stroke was clean and consistent. Once I felt comfortable I went to the desk and claimed my tee time.

I played golf with two really nice Japanese women, Tomomi and Yumiko who had the same time as me. I’m glad we met. They played a good game and we all felt comfortable playing together.

There was no rushing around the course, no people behind us pushing us to proceed. As a matter of fact there was a group in front of us which were playing slow so we asked if we could pass and did so.

Nothing about my round of golf was spectacular. I was hitting my 200 plus yard drives and my woods were working fine. My short stuff saved my game. Pitching, chipping and putting gave me the saves I needed today to post three birdies and five pars. Not bad for a girl who started the round with a 7 on a par-4!

Once I calmed down everything fell into place. This is only my second round in the 80’s so I guess it’s pretty special although I came away from it feeling a little numb and not remembering much about it…sort of like when Freddie Couples is interviewed in the middle of a round and he seems oblivious to what’s going on around him.

My new motto is “steady as she goes” because I realized that there weren’t many ups-and-downs and I didn’t get frazzled when I hit a bad shot. Rebounding well saved strokes and kept my head clear.

I hope you play an even round of golf this week and make sure to practice your putting!

WorldGolf.com's Golf for Beginners podcast features golf tips and advice from tour pros and experts. Hosts Stacy and Barry blend personal anecdotes with tips on equipment and instruction from tour professionals and magazines in this weekly podcast.